Colombiana

Hollywood is offering so many "vengeance" films that we could say films based on the revenge motif form their own genre.  If so, Colombiana is high on the list of get-em-back flicks!

I won't say much about the plot so as not to give it away, but a little girl in Colombia grows up in a criminal environment.  When she witnesses the murder of her parents, she flees.  The baddies chase her to no avail.  Fast-forward about fifteen years.  The girl is now a young adult.  She is none other than Zoe Saldana!  And Zoe's character is out for revenge!

The fun of the movie is watching Zoe in action.  She has many ways of slaying the baddies, and while she's at it, she mopes and pouts like a truly troubled, out-for-revenge young woman.  Strange twist: her adopted father is the one who trained her to be a killer.

Zoe's fine acting makes the movie.  She's a toughie.  She's gritty.  She's distant.  She's a truly empowered assassin!

Wait!  There's more!  My own cousin, Julien Muller, who lives in Paris and has been a character actor for some thirty years, landed a small part in the movie.  He's the cop at the station with the bent nose (a la Depardieu) who mutters only a few words in English so you can't hear his French accent.  Julien told me he met Zoe Saldana during the shoot and found her quite affable.

So go and see my French cousin.  See Zoe!  Revel in a good revenge flick!  Enjoy!